• 27 June 2017
    • Creative Conversation Two: Families, relationships and the arts
    • HM YOI Polmont, Polmont, FK2 0AB

The second Creative Conversations event, ‘Families, Relationships and the Arts’, explored how the arts can support relationships, and the development of relationships, for individuals and families in the criminal justice sector by inviting individuals to present and discuss art that reflects their lived experiences. A total of 44 people from 19 organisations participated in the event on Tuesday 27 June 2017 in the Performing Arts Space at HM YOI Polmont. Participants represented a number of arts and non-arts organisations including Edinburgh Youth Music Forum, the Scottish Prison Arts Network, the Garthamlock Community Group, the Citizens Theatre, Artlink Central, Feis Rois, Families Outside, Vox Liminis, Creative Scotland, HMP Kilmarnock (a private prison), Faith in Throughcare, Edinburgh University, Early Years Scotland, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice, Northumbria University, Inverclyde Council, Barnardo’s, the Scottish Prison Service, Freelance practitioners and young men and women in custody at HM YOI Polmont.

A series of three small presentations and conversations was presented by organisations that work with people in custody and their families. These included:

• An excerpt from the play ‘A Family Sentence’, created by the Garthmolock Community Group and the Citizens Theatre.

• Graeme McKerracher introduced some of the participants in KIN, an arts collective of young people, ages 16-25, who have been affected by a family member being in prison, organised by Vox Liminis. The group works together to create art informed and inspired by their experiences. The group showed a short film they created, ‘First Words’, and discussed their experiences being in the group and creating art together.

• Mark Anderson, Arts Officer at HMP YOI Polmont, and Michelle Aderton, Youth Worker with Barnardo’s, made a short presentation on their collaborative work in the Performing Arts Space. This was followed by a performance of the Polmont Band, which was made up of four young men performing on guitar, bass and drums and one young man responsible for the soundboard.

The performances were followed by a panel discussion with Professor Nancy Loucks, Chief Executive of Families Outside, and representatives from the Garthomlock Community Group, KIN and the Polmont Band,